


Dance

by Guardian_of_Hope



Series: The Power of Friends [5]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Jungle Fury
Genre: F/M, Family, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Teamwork, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-27
Updated: 2014-07-18
Packaged: 2017-12-09 15:06:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/775594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like nobody's watching.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

As far as days go, Lily was pretty sure that this one counted as a good day. Yes, she'd lost mentor, and had been sent away from Pai Zhuq, but she become a Power Ranger, a Yellow Ranger, and that made it a great day. At the moment, the only thing that Lily could say was bad about being a ranger was that she wasn't entirely comfortable was the so-called 'growing technique'. What bothered her about it was the telepathy that synchronized her body and mind was her teammates. It was a bit weird, because Casey was a cub, and she'd never met him before today. Theo, of course, was her best friend and he had been even more excited about becoming a Power Ranger.

As Lily lay on the twin bed that RJ had made up for her that night, she found that sleep eluded her. She kept thinking back to when they had become the Jungle Pride Megazord. It had been exhilarating but creepy. As the full moon cleared the neighboring building and its silvery beams flowed into the small guest room, Lily gave up on sleep. Instead she headed out to the small kitchen over the loft, as she climbed the stairs she realized that there was somebody already there.

"Hey Lily."

Lily blinked, "Who's there?"

"Casey," Casey replied.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I couldn't see clearly, I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I wouldn't expect you to recognize my voice, given how long we've known each other. Couldn't sleep?"

"Yes," Lily said as she headed for the fridge, "just a lot on my mind I guess. It was an exciting day after all." She opened the door to the fridge, and blinked against the light as she studied its contents.

"Want to talk about it?" Casey asked, there was a soft thud as he boosted himself onto the counter. "I was going to make hot chocolate anyways, if you want some. RJ has some organic cocoa and soy milk, which tastes better warm than you might think."

Lily closed the fridge, "I'm willing to experiment. As to my restless thoughts, just the stuff that happened today is all. The Megazord was exceptionally weird I think."

"You mean how we could sort of but not really a read each other's minds?" Casey asked. He jumped down from the cabinet and flicked on a small light. "That was really weird, but I just had a tiger in my head, looking for the jungle."

"What, what do you mean by that?" Lily asked.

"It was just a weird dream," Casey said as he pulled a canister out of the cabinet and put it on the counter. "I think that maybe I got 20 minutes of sleep, and I'm not ready to go back."

Lily leaned against the counter, "It's not that surprising that you had a weird dream. I think we all did when we started to consciously channel our animal spirits. I mean, Cheddar has been around for a long time, but when I got the Academy, and I learned it deliberately, I was always dreaming about trees. Cheddar was always climbing trees when I was a kid."

"Who is Cheddar?" Casey asked. He knelt down to rummage under the stove, and came up with a saucepan.

"Cheddar is what I used to call my imaginary friend when I was a child. She was a translucent, yellow cheetah. Her spots look like holes, and I liked cheese, thus I called her Cheddar. I later learned that she was in fact my spirit animal."

"Are we having a party and I didn't know?" RJ asked as he came up the stairs.

"Not exactly," Casey said, "I had some weird dreams, and Lily couldn't sleep, and thus hot chocolate. Do you want some?"

"Do you know what are doing?" Theo asked as he followed RJ.

"Of course, I know my way around a stove." Casey opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton and headed for the stove. "You don't mind, do you RJ?"

"I would only mind if you poisoned us," RJ replied as he turned on the larger kitchen light.

"Are you OK Theo?" Lily asked.

"I'm fine," Theo replied, "just a lot to think about."

Lily wondered if that was the same for all of them, she watched as RJ hovered over Casey and the hot chocolate. Theo sat down at the table, propped his head up with one hand, and watched the two with a little smile. Lily knew that Theo would deny enjoying the warmth that she could feel with all of them there.

The hot chocolate was as good as Casey had suggested it, although he had laughingly protested their compliments. After all the chocolate had been finished, the four drifted down to the half-court. RJ headed for his chair, but Casey led Theo and Lily over to a stack of gym mats where they were able to get comfortable, and see RJ's TV set. As some really bad late night programming created a background noise, Lily leaned into Casey's warm shoulder and soon fell asleep.

JFDJFD

The next morning, Lily woke up warm. She was curled up with her head on Casey's chest and someone had covered her with a yellow blanket. Casey was partly covered by a red blanket. Theo, however, was gone. As Lily sat up, she saw Theo and RJ in the kitchen, Theo was leaning against the railing and RJ was waving a spoon as he moved around.

Lily stood up and folded her blanket before adding it to the neatly folded blue blanket at the end of the mats, and then she headed upstairs. "Good morning," she said as she entered the kitchen. "What are we doing today?"

"We are going to be training," RJ replied, "if you're going to help me run JKP, then there are things you need to learn."

"You know," Casey said as he came into the kitchen, "I have worked at a pizza parlor before. I worked at a local one before I came to the Academy. I mean your recipes are different, but pizza doesn't change much in its basics."

"That could be a good thing," RJ told him, "it depends on what you were taught. I do prefer that you at least pay attention during training so that if something is different you'll know."

"All right," Casey grinned at RJ, "I think I can do that."

"What about Dai Shi?" Theo asked.

"After your orientation, we'll do some training to see what you know. You all have different training from the Academy, being a Ranger is more than what the Academy taught you." RJ replied, he gave Theo a long look. "If you expect things here to be just like the Academy, you will be severely disappointed."

"Come on Theo," Lily said, slinging her arm over her friend's shoulders, "it'll be ok."

"Go with the differences," RJ added as he headed for the pizza kitchen, "and grow with the differences. I expect all of you down here in half an hour."

Lily pulled Theo into a quick hug, "I need a shower," she said, "I'll see you guys in a bit."

"Right," Theo muttered "I don't suppose there's something to eat?" He asked Casey as Lily skipped back down stairs.

Whatever Casey would have replied, Lily didn't hear as she entered the hall that led to the four bedrooms and the bathroom. Lily had lucked out in actually having a bed in her room, RJ had said it was for someone else, but that they wouldn't begrudge her a place to sleep. Casey and Theo had been given inflated mattresses and sleeping bags, which RJ promised would be replaced soon. He'd also said that they could decorate their rooms if they wanted as well.

As Lily showered, she reflected on the day before. When they had arrived at Ocean Bluff, Casey had insisted that they put their backpacks in the bus station rental lockers so that they didn't have to drag them all over the city looking for their new master. He'd also managed to retrieve the three bags while Theo and Lily were lingering over one of RJ's master class pizzas. They hadn't even noticed he'd left until he was coming back in the front door.

Casey was, Lily thought, an interesting young man. He was one of the oldest cubs she'd ever seen, most of the students joined the Academy as pre-teens, or even younger in Theo's case. For Casey to already be eighteen made him a bit of a three day wonder. Lily hadn't really paid attention to the gossip lately, she'd been more focused on the way their teachers had suddenly increased their practice time, and had been pushing all of them towards some unspecified goal. Even Master Mao had become harder on them in his way, more demanding of perfection, pushing them as no one else would.

As Lily headed into the parlor kitchen, she heard someone laughing in the kitchen. As she came down the stairs, she found that not only were Theo and Casey waiting, but Fran had arrived, along with a Hispanic boy who was clearly younger than the other two. "Lily," RJ said with a bright smile, "I want you to meet my other employee. This is Mike Ramos, he works here during the summer, and will be of great help to us. Mike, this is Lily, one of my new tenants."

"Hi," Mike said with a lazy grin. "I'm from off the coast. My mom sends me over in the summer to live with my aunt, to give me 'experience'."

"Nice to meet you," Lily said politely. "Hi Fran."

"Hi Lily," Fran said with a nervous smile.

"All right," RJ said, "Casey, Mike, and Fran, why don't you two make sure the front is set up properly. Theo, Lily, you'll start back here in the kitchen with me, and we'll switch you to the front later on."

"Sounds like a plan, sir," Mike said, he gestured back through the swinging door, "Set up isn't that hard."

Lily turned her attention to RJ, wondering just how they were supposed to keep things secret with not one, but two strangers in and around the pizza parlor all the time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, timing for this is the second half of 'Dance The Night Away'. The first half is post Lily telling Casey and Theo off in the courtyard, pre defeating the bad guys. The second half is after the episode ends. Special thanks to Tattoed Librarian, my Beta, and to WWMTgirl for listening to me talk about this chapter while I wrote it, and who indulged my thirty-seven wild ideas and wtf moments.

Lily stormed out of the JKP courtyard with a snarl, letting the door to the restaurant slam behind her as she did. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Mike asked.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Lily said.

“Are you sure?” Mike asked, he put down the towel he’d been using to wipe down tables and crossed his arms, “I’m not part of your group, but I do have a pretty good set of ears.”

“You’re a boy,” Lily said, “it’s girl problems.”

Mike scoffed, “I have sisters and female cousins, the only other boy is ten years younger than I am. I’ve been a listening ear for all kinds of girl problems.” He uncrossed his arms and held up a single finger, “Although, from what I could understand of the yelling, it sounds more like you’ve got friend problems.”

“You were eavesdropping?” Lily asked. She could hear her voice taking on a hint of a shriek and winced internally.

“I dropped no eaves, Lily,” Mike said, “I have the hearing of a bear.”

Lily clenched her fists, then became aware that the customers were staring at them. “Whatever, I have things I need to do.” She pivoted and stormed into the kitchen.

RJ looked up as she passed through, “Problems, Lily?”

“I cannot work with them,” Lily said, “Not if they can’t work with each other. I refuse to pick a side in their, their, their testosterone fest!”

“Calm down,” RJ began.

“I am calm,” Lily snarled, “I am as calm as I always am.” A second snarl echoed in the kitchen, and Lily looked down in surprise. Cheddar stood beside her, crouching as if to spring. “When those two idiots get their heads out of their asses, let them know I’ll be in the loft.”

If RJ called after her, Lily didn’t hear it.

Once she was in the loft, Lily knelt down and smiled at Cheddar, “What are you doing, crazy?” She asked quietly, hugging herself.

Cheddar made a soft chirping sound that echoed in Lily’s mind and then winked out.

Lily shook her head and stood back up, “Are you ok?” Fran asked.

Lily looked up, surprised, “Hey Fran, I thought you were off today.”

“Oh, I am, I just came to have lunch,” Fran said, “and Mike said you were on the rampage so I thought I’d make sure you were ok.”

“It’s stupid,” Lily replied, “Theo and I have known each other for years, he’s my best friend, and now I’m making friends with Casey. Theo’s being weird about that, and then Casey is reacting to that and refusing to just get along.”

“Sounds frustrating,” Fran said. She tilted her head a little, “I would say that Theo is threatened by you making new friends. Does he have many friends?”

“Not really,” Lily said, thinking about what she knew. Theo’s parents had split up and Theo had been shuffled between them until his entrance into the Academy. He hadn’t been able to make friends that lasted until the Academy because of how his transient childhood. “I don’t want to get into it though.”

“That’s all right,” Fran replied, “it’s just, I was reading this book, and they were talking about how threatened the main character’s friend was when she made new friends, because the friend didn’t have many friends herself. She was afraid that the main character wouldn’t be her friend anymore.”

“But that’s stupid,” Lily said, “and it’s like I’ve told Theo. The bond between us is the kind of thing that lasts a lifetime. He’s my best friend. I don’t know what to do about Casey though.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Fran replied.

“I’ll try talking to him,” Lily said, “there has to be some way to solve this.”

“I know you will,” Fran said.

***

Lily was starting to hate the growing technique. The synchronization they experienced when fighting in the Megazord still bothered her afterwards, and she wasn’t sure why. Unable to sleep after the defeat of Scorpion Girl and Toad-Zilla, Lily wandered out into the living area of the loft.

“Can’t sleep?”

Lily glanced up and found Casey sitting in RJ’s chair, “He’s going to hurt you,” Lily replied and sat down beside the chair. “Are you ok?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Casey asked. “You’ve been upset lately.”

Lily sighed, “I’m just frustrated. Why couldn’t we have had another girl on the team? We’re so much more sensible.”

Casey hummed for a moment, “I don’t know.”

“What I don’t know is why you are sitting in my chair,” RJ announced.

Casey stood up, “Because it’s the best view of the TV and I couldn’t sleep.”

Lily struggled to her feet as well, “Hi RJ,” she said. “I did try to tell him.”

“Having problems sleeping?” RJ asked, turning to Lily.

“Yeah,” Lily said, “I’m not sure that I’ll ever get used to the growing technique.”

“You will,” RJ said, “you are good at it when in the moment.”

Lily smiled a little and turned to the little hallway as Cheddar appeared beside her, “Get him,” she murmured.

Cheddar leaped forward and down the hall, and moments later there was a muffled thump. “Ow,” Theo said. He appeared a moment later with Cheddar following him. “Lily, that hurt.”

“You shouldn’t have been eavesdropping,” Lily replied. She ran her fingers over Cheddar’s head before the cheetah vanished. When she looked up, Casey was watching her with his head tilted, “Sorry,” she said, “I’ve had Cheddar manifest for me since I was a little girl. My parents always thought she was my imaginary friend.”

“That’s ok,” Casey said with a shrug.

Lily reached out and threaded her fingers through Theo’s hand, remembering their conversation over lunch, about Casey and themselves. At least Theo now knew where they stood with each other, so that should help keep his issues with Casey down.

“So Sis,” Casey said, and slung his arm over Lily’s shoulders, “is there something you and Theo want to tell us.” He leaned over and looked pointedly down at their hands.

Lily glanced at Theo, who rolled his eyes. “Theo and I have agreed,” Lily said, “that we are going to wait until after we’re done with Dai Shi to formalize our relationship. Dai Shi is more important right now. Instead, we plan to just continue as we have begun, as best friends.”

“That’s great,” Casey said, “but Theo, having adopted Lily as another sister, I should warn you. If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

“Casey!” Lily yelped and shoved him away from her, “Why would you say that?”

Casey, having been caught by RJ, grinned at her, “I told you, if I’m your little brother, then I’ll treat you like my sister. This isn’t the first time I’ve threatened a boyfriend.” He grinned at RJ, “Thanks for the catch, by the way.”

“Not a problem,” RJ said.

Casey tugged his t-shirt straight, “I want hot chocolate, anyone else?”

“Me please,” Lily said, “and Theo.”

“As would I,” RJ said.

“Hot chocolate all around then,” Casey said and headed for the stairs to the kitchen.

Lily leaned into Theo, “I’m glad you worked things out with Casey.”

“That remains to be seen,” Theo murmured, “but we made a start.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Lily grinned as she entered the main part of the loft.  Casey was up in the kitchen and she could already smell the hot chocolate.  “I don’t know why I even bother going to bed,” she commented as she climbed the stairs.

Casey grinned at her, “It’s called hope, Lils, and it’s something we should never let go of.”

Lily shrugged and sat down at the table, “Speaking of hope, do you think you’re a little too hopeful of RJ and Master Finn working everything out?”

Casey shrugged, “This is what I know, my parents and I don’t talk anymore and that’s partly my fault, but they don’t email, call or write me either, even though I sent them my new contact info.  If they came to see me tomorrow, I would hug them and be happy.  If the next time I heard about them was when my sisters got married, I would be happy.  As much as I want my parents to be a part of my life, I am not going to twist their arm.  I want RJ and Master Finn to come to a similar conclusion about the kind of interaction that works best for them.  Besides, Master Finn has agreed to teach me, that means he is going to be around, and I would like to discuss things with RJ without worrying about editing around who my teacher is.”

Lily smiled, “You just want to talk to RJ, don’t you.”

Casey grinned at her as he pulled out two mugs, “Am I that obvious?”

“Not very,” Lily said, “I was just making a guess.”

Casey bowed his head, the tips of his ears turning red, “It’s nothing big,” he murmured and began pouring out the hot chocolate.  “How are things going with you and Master Phant?”

“Good,” Lily said, “now that he’s decided he wants to have a student, he hasn’t given me any trouble.  He pushes me hard, and I’ve got some interesting bruises, but I’m getting better.”

“I can tell,” Casey said and handed her a mug.  He glanced over the railing to the lower floor and turned back to the stove.  “Theo’s been doing well to, Master Swoop has really made a difference for him.”  He began to make another pot of chocolate.  “I just, I really want to do well.  I know I don’t know as much about the Pai Zhuq that you and Theo do, and I don’t want you to feel like you made a bad choice accepting me as the leader.”

“You’re a great leader Case,” Lily said as she sipped her chocolate, “and I’m not saying that because you make the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”

Casey chuckled and put out two more mugs.  “All I can do is try, Lily.”

“That’s all anyone can do,” Lily replied.  She glanced towards the bedrooms and smiled, “Come on, Theo, your hot chocolate’s about ready.”

A moment later, Theo appeared on the stairs, “How did you know I was there?”  He asked, accepting the mug that Casey offered him.

Lily grinned, “Look behind you, Theo.”

Theo turned as Cheddar, glowing a soft yellow, paced past him to join Lily.  “You shouldn’t play around like that,” Theo said.

“I didn’t,” Lily said, “I simply don’t try to force Cheddar to stay within me at all times.  She likes being out and about, I think it helps her protect me.”

“Protect you?”  Casey asked.

Lily smiled down at Cheddar, “I was invited to join Pai Zhuq two days after a bully tried to beat me up and Cheddar protected me.  She’s always been quick to defend me, you know, it’s just that was the first time she’d done so physically.”

“You mean you didn’t go around knocking people over when you were a kid?”  Theo asked dryly.

“I didn’t know she could until that day,” Lily replied, “besides, you deserve it, given how you always try to spy on me.”

“I was not spying,” Theo said, “I was coming out of my room when you called.”

Lily frowned, “Then who.”

“It was I,” RJ said, “and I apologize.  I was curious.”

“It’s ok,” Casey said, handing RJ a mug.

“What are we talking about tonight then?”  Theo asked as Casey took his seat.

“Stuff,” Casey and Lily said promptly.

Lily giggled, “We’d just agreed to change the subject, actually.  What do you want to talk about, Theo?”

Theo looked surprised to be offered the chance to pick the topic, “Um, I, uh,” he said, then he turned to RJ, “Do you expect any more surprises like the Five Fingers will show up?”

“Dai Shi is a difficult opponent,” RJ said finally, “I have been studying the last time we fought him, and it is possible.  I do not know who he would revive next though.”

“Is it just me,” Lily said hesitantly, “but are the Rinshi getting stronger?”

“I think they are,” Casey said after a moment, “but so are we.  Not only are we learning new ways to fight, but we’re able to do more on our own.”

“Casey’s right,” Theo said, “I think that whatever Dai Shi tries, we’ll be able to counter it.”

Lily sipped her hot chocolate and watched as Theo and Casey talked about the war.  It was nice to see how they had changed.  Theo was starting embrace the idea of slowing down and doing one task at a time while Casey was learning to accept Theo’s driven nature without trying to change him.  They were a lot alike in that regard, except that Theo was driven about everything and Casey seemed more relaxed on the surface, but had his objectives that he pushed for.

RJ made a comment and Lily watched as Casey’s ears went red.  She stared at her mug for a moment, fighting her smile.  RJ’s jealousy had opened him up a little, and Lily thought that it would probably be better to let them develop naturally as opposed to forcing them to admit their feelings before they were ready.

“Lily,” Theo said.

Lily looked up, “Yes?”  She said.

“Are you ok?”  Theo asked, “I was trying to ask you something.”

“I was just lost in thought,” Lily replied, “what did you want to know?”

“I was wondering if you would mind switching shifts tomorrow,” Theo replied, “I didn’t realize I had the afternoon shift and I promised Master Swoop I’d come for training tomorrow afternoon.  You have the morning shift.”

Lily considered it for a moment, just to see Theo sweat.  “Why not?”  She grinned at Theo, “I wouldn’t mind a chance to sleep in tomorrow at all.  Master Phant doesn’t want to see me for another two days either.”

“Thank you,” Theo said, “I appreciate that.”

Lily smiled, and reached over to squeeze Theo’s hand, “You’re welcome.”  She picked up her mug and drained it, “Speaking of sleeping in,” she stood up, “I think I’m ready to get some sleep now.”

“See you tomorrow,” Casey said.

“Sleep well,” RJ added.

“Night Lily,” Theo said.

Lily smiled at her boys, “Good night.”  She put her mug in the sink with some water and headed back to her room.  She had barely pulled the covers over her head before sleep claimed her.


	4. Chapter 4

Lily groaned and headed for the kitchen, "Why do I even bother?" She asked as she entered the darkened loft.

"Because you sometimes sleep well after a battle," Casey replied from the kitchen. Lily didn't need to look up to see him; she already knew that Casey would be leaning against the railing, watching her.

"Especially when they're physically draining," Lily said as she started up the stairs, "I don't suppose you're making hot chocolate?"

"I just got the pot started," Casey said as he turned to the stove, "it'll be ready in a few minutes. We even have mini-marshmallows."

"Cool," Lily said. "You know, you're always up when I get up. Are you having trouble sleeping or something?"

"Or something," Casey replied as he fussed with his saucepan. "I've always been a night owl, and tigers are known for being nocturnal. Besides, Theo snores."

"I do  _not,"_  Theo said as he stalked out into the loft itself.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop then," Casey said, "you never hear anything good about yourself."

Theo's pace as he walked across the loft and up to the kitchen reminded Lily more of an offended, wet kitten than the jaguar she imagined Theo was trying to imitate. Lily ducked her head and bit her lip to keep Theo from seeing her smile and get even more offended. "Did you just get out of the shower?" Lily asked curiously.

"What if I did?" Theo asked.

"It is 1 am," Casey said, "you went to bed at eleven."

Theo shook his head, "I couldn't sleep, and it's easier to get hot water this late."

"I'm glad you decided to join us then," Casey said, he gave Theo a little smile; "You know you're welcome any time you're up."

"So Casey," Lily said as she slid into a seat at the table, "do you think RJ will join us?" Keeping her posture casual, she watched Casey's reaction.

"He probably will," Theo said, also taking a seat, "he has before."

Lily glared at Theo as Casey turned back to the stove. She'd noticed some reactions from Casey that made her curious. If she didn't know better, she would think that Casey was developing a crush on RJ.

"He'd better hurry if he's coming," Casey said, "his chocolate will go cold."

"We can't have that," RJ said as he appeared on the stairs from the JKP kitchen.

"Is everything all right?" Lily asked, watching as RJ leaned against the counter near Casey.

"Yes," RJ replied, "I was finishing my quarterly earnings reports. Even with extra help, we did very well." He looked at Lily for a moment, "No matter the number of accidents in the kitchen."

Lily looked down, blushing. She'd instigated her fair share of those accidents. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"So RJ," Theo said with a hint of false heartiness, "you've had your morpher all this time?"

"I have," RJ said, "I had to wait for the right time."

"Do you have any other morphers just lying around?" Casey asked as he began collecting mugs for their drinks.

"Not at the moment," RJ replied as he gave Casey a small smile, "I'll let you know if I find one, however."

This time, Lily could tell, Casey was definitely blushing. His ears went almost as red as his t-shirt and his cheeks were distinctly pink.

"If we do get another Ranger," Lily said, "I hope it's a girl. Fran's nice, but she does have to go home every day."

"I make no promises," RJ said quietly as he accepted his mug. "Thank you Casey."

"Yes," Theo said, "thank you Casey."

Casey slid the bright yellow mug over to Lily and then went back for his own cup and a bag of marshmallows. "Thank you," Lily said as she pulled open the bag and helped herself to a handful.

"May I have some?" Theo asked.

Casey picked up the bag, pulled some out, and offered them to Theo, "Here," he said with a teasing grin, "some."

"Very funny Casey," Theo said, "may I have the bag of marshmallows so I can get my own?"

Casey handed over the bag and dropped his handful into his own mug as he sat down. "Would you like some marshmallows, RJ?"

"No thank you," RJ replied.

As Lily leaned back and sipped her hot chocolate. In the back of her mind, she imagined she could hear Cheddar purring happily.


	5. Chapter 5

Lily grinned as she climbed up to the kitchen, “Hey Casey,” she said.

“Hey Lily,” Casey replied as he looked into his saucepan, “give it another few minutes and it will be ready.”

“If you say so,” Lily said as she dropped down into her favorite chair.  “Out of curiosity, do you think that RJ is going to be attacked again for his spirit?”

“I hope not,” Casey said.

“Do you think they’ll try that with one of us?”  Lily asked, as Cheddar appeared beside her, she bent down to scratch the cheetah’s ears.

“It won’t be an issue,” RJ said as he came out of the JKP kitchen.

“It won’t?”  Lily and Casey asked.

“Dai Shi attacked my animal spirit first,” RJ said after a moment, “I think that created a weakness that could be exploited.  It won’t happen again.”

“What if he does try that with someone else?”  Casey asked, “It was tough enough to fight the wolf.”

RJ shook his head, “If they try something, we will deal with it, but I do not think that it will come to that, Casey.  Is the milk done?”

Casey froze, turning to look at the stove, “Oh shi- uh, shoot,” he said, grabbing a spoon and stirring the pot.  Then he relaxed, “No, we’re good,” he said and reached in the cabinet to produce mugs.

“Sounds like I’m right on time,” Theo said from the basketball court.

Lily leaned over, “Theo!  Get up here and help us.”

“Help you with what?”  Theo asked.

“We’re trying to get RJ to explain why he thinks no one’s animal spirit is going to get messed up like the Wolf did,” Lily replied.  “I’m having trouble buying ‘I just know’.”

RJ sighed, “Jared started at the school when I was a senior,” he said, “at first, they thought he had the wolf spirit so I was assigned to keep an eye on him and help him get in touch with his spirit.  What they don’t tell you until you mentor another is that it creates a link between spirits.  Dai Shi was able to exploit that connection, even if it was weakened because of how long it’s been since I was his mentor, the fact that Jared had the lion spirit instead of the wolf, and my own attainment of Master status.”

“I didn’t have a mentor,” Theo said.

RJ nodded, “You did not need one, you and Lily both have strong connections to your animal spirits and you just needed the techniques, not the control.  Casey might have been assigned a mentor.”

Casey, carrying mugs to the table looked at them, “I would have?”

RJ spread his hands out, “Who can say, you have come here instead.”

“Wait a minute,” Lily said, “you were at the Academy when Jared started, but Theo and I started at the Academy with Jared, why don’t I remember you?”

“Good question,” Theo said.

“I was Jared’s mentor for about two months,” RJ said, “I was also completing my studies to become a Master.  When Jared started training with another teacher to control the Lion and I achieved my Master stripes, I already knew I was leaving the Academy, even if nobody else did.  I was gone before they could ask me to take on training anyone else, with Master Mao’s blessings.”  He sipped his hot chocolate, “You aren’t the first either.”

“What do you mean?”  Casey asked as he took his seat.

“Not all students at the Academy become Masters,” RJ said, “but they have, for the most part, been isolated at the Academy for several years.  Former students, and even some Masters like me, we act as a sort of halfway house for Academy dropouts.”

“Is that what you thought we were?”  Lily asked, “When we first showed up?”

RJ sipped his hot chocolate, slurping noisily.

“Never mind that,” Casey said, “I still want to know where your morpher came from, RJ.  I mean, you’ve made some pretty amazing stuff for us to use, but I was under the impression that morphers couldn’t be made in an afternoon.”

“How do you know they can’t?”  RJ asked mildly.

“Leave it,” Lily said, “I’m sure there are other things we can talk about rather than just rehashing the same conversation we had last time.”

“All right,” Casey said, “how are you feeling Lily?  Any more twinges of your angry side?”

“Every day,” Lily replied as she stood up, “like when someone forgets to get out the marshmallows.  If you’re meaning because of that stupid porcupine?  Then no, just a strong spiritual pain whenever I remember how much more I have to pay on that motorcycle.”

“Why not just sell it?”  Theo asked.

Lily turned to look at Theo, “Give up a motorcycle like that?  Why would I?  Unless RJ’s planning to roll out a few more bikes like Casey’s, I want my bike.”  She slid into her seat, “I just was planning to have a larger down payment when I bought one.”

“May I have a marshmallow?”  Theo asked.

Lily pulled a marshmallow from the bad and tossed it into Theo’s mug.

“Lily!”  Theo exclaimed.

“Don’t throw food,” RJ said.

“I’m sorry I forgot the marshmallows,” Casey said, “may I have the bad when you’re done?”

“Yes Casey, you may,” Lily replied.  “You only asked for one, Theo, and RJ, it’s rude to reach across the table.”

The phone rang, startling all of them.  RJ stood up and answered it, “Jungle Karma Pizza, this is RJ.  Unfortunately the parlor is closed…”  He trailed off, looking surprised.

Lily glanced at Theo as RJ turned away from them and spoke too softly for them to hear, and then she looked at Casey.  Casey was staring at RJ with an expression that combined longing and jealousy.

“No,” RJ said, “that wouldn’t be a problem.  Let me go check something.”  He turned around eyed them, and then moved closer to claim his mug of hot chocolate before vanishing into the kitchen.  “There’s no bother, Dom,” he said before he vanished from sight.


	6. Chapter 6

The roof at JKP was not off limits to the Rangers, only difficult to access, and only accessible as the easy way to deal with the restaurant's sign when it needed adjustments. As Lily followed the yellow glow Cheddar left behind for her, she wondered who had decided the scramble over rafters and the narrow roof access was worthwhile, especially as a brooding place. Cheddar would not have brought her up here if she was not needed, Lily knew that much.

Lily watched Cheddar leap through the open hatch onto the roof, then ducked under one of the roof beams and up through the hatch herself. As she cleared the top of the opening, she saw Casey watching her, lit by an off kilter street light and the steady, but dim glow of the solar lights that marked the roof edge, the hatch, and the small collection of solar panels that provided part of the power to the restaurant below.

Lily hoisted herself out of the hatch, "This doesn't look like a kitchen, Case," she said as she stood up.

"Dom's in there," Casey said, sounding bitter.

"You really don't like him," Lily said as she stepped up to him. "Hug," she added, and let Casey pull her into a painfully tight embrace. Lily stroked Casey's back until he let go, "Tell me what you're thinking," she ordered him.

"He comes in here like he has the right to be here, like we owe him a morpher, because he's- he's friends with RJ," Casey said, stepping back. Lily watched him as he paced away from her, "It's like he expects us to hand it over because he has decided it must be so, and he expects RJ to back him up because they're friends or whatever." Casey stopped, "Friends," he spat out with a bitter laugh.

Lily tucked her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels, "It's not like we couldn't use another Ranger," she offered.

"Maybe," Casey said, "I just don't like his attitude. I am sure he is a great guy underneath, but he expected to get a morpher by begging his friend for it. He doesn't understand us."

"Maybe he doesn't," Lily said, "but maybe you're being a bit to critical."

"Am I?" Casey asked.

Lily shook her head and reached out to rest her hand on Casey's bicep, "You care for him, a lot. I noticed, and Theo did too. I think Fran knows too. You are not as subtle as you think you are, except to him. I don't think he realizes how you feel about him."

"Maybe he doesn't," Casey said softly.

"Case, he spent a lot of time with you from the beginning. You formed a friendship fast, and you made it strong. Just because he's spending time with someone else doesn't mean that your friendship is invalid."

"Maybe not," Casey agreed, "I just feel like I was knocked out of competition before the match even started."

There was a loud thump and Lily spun around to stare at the open hatch. A moment later, RJ popped up, "Is everything all right?" He asked as he climbed through the hatch.

"Just fine," Lily said, "what are you doing here?"

"The hatch was open," RJ replied. "The security system sent an alert to me."

"I didn't know we had that," Casey said, "I'm sorry. I left the hatch open; I didn't want to get stuck up here."

"You could have called if that happened," Lily pointed out.

"Yeah, but Theo would have gloated for forever," Casey replied. Lily had to nod at that one; Theo was good at gloating sometimes.

"Lily," RJ said, "may I talk to Casey for a moment."

"Sure," Lily replied, "I'm going back to bed." She studied RJ as she passed him, and wished the light were better. There was something about RJ's face, she almost wanted to say he looked protective, not just concerned.

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Lily found Casey the next night in the kitchen. "So," she said.

"So I was wrong," Casey replied as he took the coco mix from the cabinet. "Dom will be an excellent ranger; he just might need some seasoning to get there."

Lily crossed her arms and leaned against the table, watching as Casey poured milk into a saucepan, "Did you talk to him?"

"RJ?" Casey asked, "He just wanted me to know that as my friend, it was his duty to help deal with people who hurt me, so who should he beat up."

Lily laughed, "I take it you didn't."

"No," Casey said, his amused smile faded a little, "I might have, but I don't think it's time yet." He looked away to turn the fire on, and Lily sat down at the table. "I heard from Nick and Conner," Casey added.

Lily twitched, because they did not talk about the other Rangers much, but usually that was a day topic when they did. "What's going on with them?" She said aloud.

"They can't make this weekend, they don't think," Casey replied, "but I can use the ship, so Theo and I are going to the Haven."

"Now's as good a time as any," Lily said.

"Sorry," Casey said, "I know you don't approve and all, but it's nice to have a night off."

"I feel like I missed the point of the conversation."

Lily smiled as Dom came up from the parlor kitchen, "Hey Dom, what's up?"

Dom smiled back at her, "I had a mission," he said, "I desperately needed ice cream tacos."

"But you're not carrying anything," Lily pointed out.

"I ate them on the way back," Dom said. "What are you two doing up? I mean, I still think I'm on the other side of the world, but isn't it a little late for you two?"

"Midnight hot chocolate," Casey said. "We're waiting on Theo and RJ to join us." He hesitated, "Now that you're here, I mean."

Dom's smile was pleased and shy, Lily noted, not the usual brilliant grin that seemed to be a signature for him. "Should I go wake them?"

"No need," RJ said as he entered the kitchen, "I heard Theo getting out of the shower, so he should be here soon."

"Shower?" Dom said.

"Four, no five people," Lily said, "one shower. Someone has an odd showering time, and Theo usually volunteers for it. Sit down, Dom; you aren't going to be able to steal the hot chocolate before its ready."

"Why would you want to?" Theo asked as he joined them, his damp hair sticking out in all directions, "Casey makes the best hot chocolate if you're patient." He bent to kiss Lily's cheek and slid into the chair beside her.

Lily smiled, because it had taken her weeks to coax that much affection from Theo. He had hugged her for years, because she would not have let him alone otherwise and they both knew it. Kissing, however chaste, was new.

Dom slid into a seat at the end of the table, and RJ sat down across from Lily, "So hot chocolate in the middle of the night," Dom said.

"It's hard to sleep after battles," Casey replied, "especially when we have to use the Megazord, so we drink hot chocolate and talk a bit, then go back to bed." He opened one of the cabinets and pulled out a package, which he promptly threw at Dom. Lily smiled as Dom regarded the bad of marshmallows with surprise.

The shiny yellow mug that Casey had procured at some point, with  _Fluffy and Dangerous_  printed on it, appeared in front of her. Casey also set down Theo's  _They Call Me Mr. Fluffy_  mug. Lily suspected that Theo was planning to break and or loose the mug at some point, but he had not managed it yet. "Thank you," she called as Casey headed back for the other mugs. "Pass the marshmallows," she added.

RJ's  _A psychic read my mind once, she's still running_  mug and Casey's  _The voices in my head are people too_  mugs slid onto the table along with a white one with orange lettering, "What does it say?" Theo asked.

" _Save the world? You should be happy I haven't destroyed it yet._ " Dom replied, "Nice."

"I thought it suited you," Casey replied with a little smile. He saluted Dom with his mug, "Welcome to the team, Dom."

Lily reached out to clink her mug against Casey's, followed by Theo, RJ and Dom, "Welcome to the team," she added. As they settled in and the marshmallows were shared, or not, Lily found herself watching Casey from where he sat by RJ. Those mugs were custom made, she knew, and took about a week to ship. Why had Casey ordered a mug for a man he barely tolerated before he even knew the man would become a Ranger?


	7. Chapter 7

As Lily slipped on a pair of house shoes, she wondered if Casey would still be making hot chocolate now that he was back to normal.  At least, as normal as any of the rangers could get.  She shivered and picked up a yellow hoodie, pulling it on as she slipped out of her room.  She slipped down the hallway, wondering if RJ had a heater and if he would turn it on as the weather grew colder with the approach of Christmas.

All thoughts of Christmas, and how she’d explain her absence to her parents, vanished from Lily’s mind as she entered the great room.  Casey was in the kitchen all right, he was standing with his back to the room, pressed against the railing by RJ who was quite clearly kissing him.

Lily hesitated and started to step back, unwilling to interrupt such a clearly intimate moment.  Then Cheddar appeared, half way across the room.  Lily shook her head, but the spirit bounded up the steps to the kitchen, crouched and then leaped at RJ and Casey.  Red and purple flared and Cheddar was twisting away from a purple wolf, only to be batted down by the larger, bright red tiger.

“Cheddar,” Lily cried softly.

“It’s ok,” Casey said as he pushed RJ back, “I don’t think Akela hurt her.  It’s safe to come up, Lily.”

“Akela?”  RJ asked as Lily hurried across to the kitchen stairs.

“Well, yeah,” Casey said, “Akela lead the wolf pack in The Jungle Book.”  Lily glanced up as Casey gave RJ a light kiss on the lips.  “I thought it was fitting.”

“You’re not naming the wolf Tigger,” RJ said as he watched Casey head for the stove.

“I’m not naming him Shere Khan either,” Casey replied, and shuddered.

“What’s wrong?”  Lily asked.

“Nothing,” Casey said, he glanced over his shoulder, “I saw the live action movie of the Jungle Book, it gave me nightmares.”  He paused for a moment, “I did like Shere Khan, though.”  He leaned over and pulled a sauce pan from the cabinet.

“I liked the old Disney cartoon,” Lily said and lightly sang, “ _Look for the bear necessities, those simple bear necessities, forget about your worries and your strife.”_

“ _I mean the bear necessities, Old Mother Nature’s recipes, that brings the bear necessities to life,”_ Dom sang as he mounted the stairs, “That’s great advice, are we having a sing along then?”

“Casey calls his animal spirit Akela,” RJ said.

“Ah, The Jungle Book,” Dom said, “I liked Riki-Tiki-Tava personally, but Mowgli was a great character.”

“Why am I not surprised that you’ve read Rudyard Kipling?”  Theo asked as he entered the kitchen.

“Because everyone should read his work?”  Dom replied.  “I read Kipling on my way to India last year.  I prefer Vonnegut.”

“Catcher in the Rye,” Theo said with a slight nod.  He kissed Lily’s cheek and pulled out a chair at the table.

“No, Slaughter House Five,” Dom said as he took a different seat.  “What about you Lily?”

Lily bit her lip, “I liked Harry Potter, honestly.  I haven’t picked up a book in a while, though.”

“I think everyone in the world liked Harry Potter,” Casey said.  “Personally, I’ve always been a fan of Steven King.”

“I’ll pass thank you,” Dom said.

“Is that why IT is on the Netflix queue?”  RJ asked.

“That one isn’t me,” Casey said, “one you read the book, that movie just blows.”

“It wasn’t me,” Lily and Theo said in unison.

“Do you think I want to watch a clown movie?”  Dom asked, spreading out his hands.

They looked at each other, “I didn’t do it,” Lily said, “I’m with Dom on killer clowns.”

Theo shook his head, “How often do you even see me watching movies?  I hate horror movies.”

“Hot chocolate’s ready,” Casey said as he set down Lily and Theo’s mugs.

“All right RJ, what are you reading now?”  Dom asked as he fetched marshmallows from the cabinet.

“Right now?  It’s a book series called Twilight,” RJ replied.  “I’ve been in the middle of the first book for a while because I’ve been busy.”

Dom leaned over stage whispered to Casey, “That means he doesn’t like it, but RJ can’t leave a book unfinished so he’s putting it off.”

Lily smiled as RJ protested and Casey laughed.  She slid a glance around the table, Theo was sitting beside her, and Dom at the head of the table while RJ and Casey had moved their chairs close enough that Casey was practically sitting in RJ’s lap when he leaned back.  She sipped her cocoa and basked in the warm glow that welled inside her, being surrounded by her team was wonderful.  It was like something had finally settled between all of them.  _Look out, Dai Shi,_ Lily thought as she popped a marshmallow in her mouth, _we’re going to bring you down for good this time._


	8. Chapter 8

“Do you make hot chocolate every night?”

Lily hung back in the hallway, peering across the room to the kitchen.  She could just make out a dark head of hair, and from the play of shadows knew someone else was walking around.

“Not every night,” Casey said.  “Mostly just when it gets intense.  We can relax, talk about things we don’t normally talk about, bond.  It helps us reestablish ourselves when we use the Megazord.”

“What do you mean?”

That had to be Luen talking, Lily thought, remembering Theo’s twin had decided to spend the night after the battle.

“We have to fighting in synch in the Megazord,” Casey said, “there’s a mental connection involved so that we’re all moving together.  It doesn’t bother me as much now as it did in the beginning, back then it was sometimes hard to remember what was me and what was Theo or Lily.”

Lily stepped out of the hallway and trotted across the floor to the stairs.

“You mean like telepathy or something?”  Luen asked.

“Not exactly,” Casey replied.  “It’s like, everything but the battle gets pushed away and all we think about is how to win the fight.  We don’t have to talk, because we all know we’re going to punch or kick because we all think it at the same time.”

“We don’t get to learn each other’s secrets and embarrassing stories,” Lily added as she stepped off the stairs, ignoring the way Luen jumped and then scrambled to stay in his chair.  “It’s not like that.”

“Where did you come from?”  Luen asked.

“Cleveland, originally,” Lily replied as she slid around Casey.  “We moved out to Sacramento when I was nine.”  She dug out the marshmallows as Casey began to arrange his mugs.

“I mean right then,” Luen said, “You startled me.”

“My bedroom,” Lily replied.  “Is Dom back yet?”

“Nope,” Casey said, “he said something about gelato, so he might be a while.”

“If by gelato you mean the time it takes to walk Fran home, finish talking about whatever book they’re reading, and walk back of course,” Lily said.

“They’re reading _The Art of Racing in the Rain,_ ” Luen offered, “it’s really good.”

“I’m sure it is,” Lily said as she dropped the marshmallows on the table and sat down, “Dom and Fran are ‘not dating’; they do this every time she stays after closing.”

“They’re ‘not dating’ the way you and Theo are ‘not dating’,” Casey said, “unlike me and RJ.”

“Lily and I are dating, Casey,” Theo said as he joined them.  “We’re just taking it slow.”  He kissed Lily’s cheek before heading for the fridge, “Anyone else feeling hungry?”

“Do we have any honeydew left?”  Lily asked.

“Unless someone’s been snacking between now and dinner we should,” RJ called as he came out of the JKP kitchen with Dom.

“We do,” Theo confirmed.

“Have a good walk?”  Lily asked Dom as he sat down at the table.

“It was okay,” Dom said, looking a bit grumpy.

“What happened?”  Lily said.

“Fran’s grandmother doesn’t like me,” Dom said, “and Fran really wanted her to.”  He smiled slightly as Casey put his mug of hot chocolate in front of him.

“Maybe she just needs to get to know you,” Casey said, “I didn’t like you at first either.”

“She’s just here overnight,” Dom said, “and I made a very bad first impression.  I really wanted it to go well because she’s so important to Fran.”

“I’m sure you can settle things,” Lily said, “you just need to give it a little time.”

“But when Dai Shi is defeated,” Dom hesitated, “when we defeat Dai Shi, I was planning to get back on the road again.  I like being here, don’t get me wrong.  I’ve gotten my finances back on track, and my laundry taken care of and my laptop fixed, but I’m a wandering man, I want to get back on the road at some point.  I was going to invite Fran to go with me.  If Mrs. Carson doesn’t like me, Fran probably won’t go with me out of respect.”

Luen cleared his throat, “Maybe you should just talk to her tomorrow.  Get up and invite her out for brunch.  Apologize for whatever went wrong and tell her what you told us, that you wanted her to like you because you know how important she is to Fran.”

“I can’t apologize,” Dom said, “she doesn’t like my job.”

“The pizza parlor?”  Theo asked.

“No, my other job,” Dom replied.  “I pay for my travels by writing a travel blog.  My hook is that I travel to literary sites, like reading Kipling and going to India, or reading _Out of Africa_ and going to Kenya.  I write about places that people read about in stories, showing the differences and putting up pictures when a book place and a real place coincide.  I take suggestions from my followers as well, although I think RJ is the one who keeps trying to get me to go to Antarctica.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” RJ said before sipping his chocolate.

“Mrs. Carson thinks that I’m a joke,” Dom said, “and there’s nothing I can really do to change that.”

“Fran knows you’re not a joke,” Lily said, “and if Mrs. Carson can’t see who you really are then she’s missing out on a wonderful human being.  All you can do is be yourself, that’s how Fran sees you.”

Dom smiled at her, “I guess so.”

“I know so,” Lily said, she leaned into Theo, “That’s what I tell Theo all the time.”

“Speaking of Kipling,” Casey said as he turned to RJ, “I was thinking that Hobbes might be a perfect name.”

“As in the philosopher?”  Dom asked.

“The cartoon,” Casey replied.

“Calvin and Hobbes?”  Luen asked, “I love those comics, Calvin is awesome.”

“The snowmen, right?”  Casey asked.

“Calvinball,” Theo and Luen said with a smirk.


	9. Chapter 9

Lily lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling.  She could hear Casey moving around and she longed to go to him.  There was a comfort in their middle of the night hot chocolate and confessions, a comfort that she feared would give Casey pain tonight.  She looked at her arm, making out the tattoo in the faint light reflected through the window.

She had never yearned for something like she did for that hot chocolate.  She could see Casey’s face, the way he would smile quietly, pleased that she’d joined him.  She could picture the content expression he had last week when he fell asleep on RJ’s shoulder as the evening had wound down.

Her door open and Lily sat up.

Casey stepped inside, “Lily,” he said.

“Casey?”  Lily asked, “What are you doing?”

“Hot chocolate’s ready,” Casey said.  “Come have some.”

“I- I thought you wouldn’t want us there,” Lily admitted.

“Never,” Casey said.  “You’re still my teammates even if you do have a fancy tattoo now.  Tell you what, when this is over you can go with me when I get a tattoo.”

“Okay,” Lily said as she grabbed her robe and pulled it around her.  “Maybe we can get matching ones.”

“Maybe,” Casey said.  “We just have to pry Theo out of his room first.”

Lily laughed and caught Casey’s hand, “Thank you for coming to get me.”

“Thank you for coming with me,” Casey replied, kissing her cheek.


	10. Chapter 10

“Come on Camille,” Lily said as she tugged the chameleon behind her towards the kitchen.  “Trust me; you can’t anyways, so you might as well join us.”

“She’s right,” Theo said as he pushed Jarrod ahead of him.  “It’s tradition, after all.”

“I’m walking,” Jarrod said, “you don’t have to push.”

Lily grinned as they entered the loft to see Casey and RJ moving around the kitchen.  “You’ll like this,” she told Camille as they started up the stairs.

“Hey guys,” Casey said, “I’m just about finished.  Dom went to fetch more chairs for everybody.”

“He’s back from walking Fran home?”  Lily asked as she headed for the marshmallows.

“Not exactly,” RJ replied.

There were a couple of thuds before Dom appeared carrying a pair of chairs, followed by Fran with another one.  “RJ invited me to stay the night,” Fran said nervously, “if that’s okay, I mean.  That is okay, right?”

“It’s perfect,” Lily said, “I would have offered before.”

Fran smiled at her, “But I like to get home before eleven.”

They put the chairs around the table while Camille and Jarrod watched.  “Pull up a chair,” Lily said as she scooted closer to Theo’s chair, “there’s plenty of room.”

“Here we go,” Casey said, sliding a tray on the table filled with steaming mugs of hot chocolate.  “Jarrod, this one’s for you.”  It had a shot of the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz saying ‘Put them up, put them up.’  “Camille,” Casey said when Jarrod had taken his.  Camille’s looked green when Casey picked it up, but it turned a rich purple color from the base up.  “It changes in the heat,” Casey said.  “Now for Fran,” he slid the last mug over to her.  It was a delicate pink with a worm on it spelling out the phrase ‘bookworm’.

“Thank you,” Fran said.

“Well, you’re one of us,” Casey said.

“But I’m not a Ranger,” Fran protested.

“You don’t have to be,” RJ said.  “That’s not what this is about.”

Lily sipped her hot chocolate and smiled.  They were right; it wasn’t about Rangers, or teammates.  It was more than that.  It was people who had fought Dai Shi, each in their own way.

“So what are you all going to do now?”  Fran asked, “Now that Dai Shi is gone, I mean.”

“I’ve been asked to teach at the academy,” Casey said.  “There’s a lot I still don’t know about Pai Zhuq, but I’m not exactly a student any more.  I’ll teach basic combat, and study with the other teachers on my own time.”

“I’m not sure yet,” Theo said.  “All I’ve ever wanted to be was a Pai Zhuq master and now I am.”

“You’re welcome to stay here while you figure it out,” RJ said.  “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I think I might go to college,” Lily said.  “I would have to look into it.  I know my mom would appreciate it if I did.  I mean, life at the academy wasn’t that bad, but I like it here too.”

“As I said, you’re welcome to stay,” RJ said.

“Well, I’m going to be on the road soon,” Dom said.  “My laptop’s fixed, my finances are back up, and I’ve got a new list of places I want to see.  Thanks to Fran, I’ve decided to backpack across Europe again, see some new places.”

“Really, like where?”  Casey asked.

“Just some spots on the Mediterranean,” Dom replied.  “I’ve got someone trying to get me to read _Mein Kampf_ , but I don’t think I will.  I’ve had enough of egomaniacal conquerors to last me a while.”

“Agreed,” Casey, Lily, and Theo said in unison.

“What you and Camille?”  Lily asked.

Jarrod shrugged, “I’m not sure yet.  I didn’t exactly leave things at the academy in the best of light.”

“But you deserve a second chance,” Casey said, “it’s not like you asked Dai Shi to possess you.”

“I might as well have,” Jarrod muttered.

“No,” Casey said, and the tiger growled in his word.  “You didn’t ask Dai Shi to use you to take over the world.  You didn’t ask to be stripped of every control you had.  _You didn’t ask_ for any of it.  You deserve a second chance.  You have a right to live a good life.”

“I should be in prison,” Jarrod said.

“No more than the first Green Ranger should be,” Casey replied.  “I’ve met him.  You and the good doctor of a lot more in common than you might think.  He took his second chance with both hands and _ran with it._   He’s made a good life, because he knows what the worst is.  You’ve seen it.  Now you have the chance to respond.  What you do is up to you, but Jarrod, if I were the one standing there trying to decide between who I could be and who I should be, I’d pick the option that would do myself the most good.”

“What if I want to go back to the academy, and prove to everyone that I can be a good person?”  Jarrod asked softly.

“Then I’ll stand beside you and I’ll fight for you to get that chance,” Casey replied.

“So will I,” RJ said.

“So will I,” Lily and Theo said in unison.

“I go where Jarrod goes,” Camille said.

“And we’ll fight for both of you,” Case said.

“It can’t be that simple,” Jarrod said.

“When you’re on the right side, it’s always that simple,” Casey replied.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After so long, The Power of Friends is done. I don't know what happened with Dance, really, but I wrote what needed to be written. There were a lot of fun things in this story, like the mugs. It was really fun to figure out appropriate designs for them. Earth and Honor are my favorite two because I love Dustin and Chip, but Dance was fun, Speed was empowering, and Song was a trip. I really figured out a lot of things about my characters because of these stories, and anyone who has the guts to read this from beginning to end in one go, I salute you! That's a really daunting task. My Yellows may be finished, but my Universe is still expanding. Keep your eyes peeled for more stories forth coming. After all, I have Megaforce and the War, the SPD, and so much more to cover!


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